…but where would they live?
Innovation has become a buzzword and while we all have ideas what innovation means and why it's important, on this week's episode I did a deep-dive on the theory of innovation and why so many governments and policymakers strive to be innovative.
As we are moving towards warmer months and warmer waters, I wanted to take a second and talk to you about blue health. It's a new and interesting concept looking at the benefits humans can get from interacting with the ocean. You may have experienced the (side-)effects of blue health, i.e. better mood, happiness, and... Continue Reading →
I love being in/on/at/by the ocean, so a couple weeks ago, I tried a new way of enjoying the marine space - through sea kayaking. I took a 2-day-course a couple weeks ago and what started as a fun excursion quickly transitioned into a nightmare of hand-eye-coordination resulting in very sore muscles and a somewhat... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I find myself in situations where I am somewhat lost. I know what I do is important and I typically can remember why I started to begin with, but when you loose sight of what is important, it becomes difficult to really make sense of it all. To avoid that utter confusion, it is... Continue Reading →
Have you ever felt completely misunderstood or thought you knew exactly what you and your partner or colleague were talking about and then learnt that you couldn't be further from the truth? Misunderstandings like that make life very difficult and challenging when they don't have to be! On this week's episode I explore the power... Continue Reading →
When I was in school, my math teacher always used to say, "what you learn in this class will be usable in your other classes". That never made sense to me - was I supposed to calculate how many words per hour someone could write in class? It wasn't until much later that I understood... Continue Reading →
*The word mensch in German means person/human (nothing more and nothing less). It is often used in Yiddish to describe a person of honor, integrity, and having a good character. I don't think it's weird that I am up at 5am-ish every day. I also don't think it's weird that I am out the door... Continue Reading →
World Oceans Day takes place every year on June 8th! This year's theme is The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods where we celebrate and shine a light on all that we've been up to in the realm of ocean space. To find out more about how to get involved, please visit: https://www.un.org/en/observances/oceans-day
In this week's episode we look at Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water. I will give you a very detailed look into what SDG14 entails, its targets and indicators and why they are specific but broad. We'll also look at why SDGs are formulated that way and how everyone (no matter where in... Continue Reading →
What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and where do they come from? In essence, the SDGs are here to reach sustainable development and to do that we need a plan and some actions. In this week's episode I look specifically at the SDGs and how when you aim to promote one sustainable development goal, you... Continue Reading →
I am a runner - this is not something I ever thought I'd say of myself. If you would have asked me twenty years ago to go for a run, I would have laughed... a lot. But today, it's my most favourite activity. I get asked a lot of questions, such as "how do you... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wondered what STEM was and why it was important? You're in luck! This week I'll be exploring STEM and how you can ensure that you are using this approach to problem-solving, even if you're not in academia (or perhaps precisely because you're not in academia). I will explore what STEMinism is -... Continue Reading →
The water is getting warmer, the sun is out longer and you know what that means? Bioluminescence will be in its full glory along the shores and in oceans and I cannot wait to get my next magical experience but you may wonder - how is bioluminescence created in ocean water and how come you... Continue Reading →
Tiktok took over everybody's life particularly as we all were craving human contact but were told to stay at home. And at this point, I believe many people have heard of tiktok and you're either addicted to it or you can't believe that people can be addicted to it. In this week's episode, I'll discuss... Continue Reading →
A quick update on my experience going open water swimming for the first time in 2021. Spoiler alert, IT WAS COLD.
It's open water swimming season (well, to be honest with the right gear it's always open water swimming season!). So this episode, I want to explore with you the ins and outs of open water swimming. Safety first, so you'll hear quite a few health disclaimers to keep you safe and sound and then, and... Continue Reading →
European Maritime Day is approaching fast - this year it is held virtually on May 20-21 in Den Helder in The Netherlands and it promises to be good and exciting. The agenda is out and I am looking very much forward to all the different active workshops and plenary sessions and just having an opportunity... Continue Reading →
Netflix's newest documentary "Seaspiracy" has been making waves. I watched it and there is much to say about it. This episode will provide some critical insight into why documentaries like this are important but also, why you should be careful to view the main message of this documentary critically. Listener note: This episode was recorded... Continue Reading →
Do whales need to rest? And if so, how do they sleep? In this week's episode I explore how sperm whales rest and how they use their social family structures to protect themselves and their female companions. I'll also talk about why male sperm whales don't travel with female sperm whales and why calves will... Continue Reading →
Writing is hard – there are no two ways about it. But there are tools to make it easier and one of the tools I have in my toolbox are outlines and reverse outlines. An outline is pretty much an introduction – a middle part – a conclusion – sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? It... Continue Reading →
When I started thinking about women that inspired me, my mind started racing into so many different directions. I could have spoken to you about women that I've had the opportunity to meet - women that are in the public eye - women that went against the norm to achieve something amazing - women that... Continue Reading →
Ever wondered why sometimes you see thousands of dolphins travel together? Ever wondered what it would feel like to witness that and maybe even, what it would feel like to all of a sudden being part of it? It's an incredible spectacle that I got to live in the summer of 2015 in the Azores... Continue Reading →
My favourite thing to do is watch humpbacks feed - if you're lucky, you get to see every inch of their body as they move around, sometimes really fast and other times really slow and yet both behaviours serve the same purpose. I've never been more mesmerised than watching large animals feed in the water.... Continue Reading →
I've always wondered what it would be like to feel no gravity and at the same time be in complete darkness and while that sounds scary or in the least unsettling, it's actually quite the opposite, comforting and somewhat freeing. I tried the zero gravity floats and let me tell you, it is something else!... Continue Reading →
It took me forever to decide whether or not to get a drone and then one day, after having done some shore watching and realising that the thing I want to explore would be much easier to explore with a drone, I went for it and haven't looked back since. This week I talk about... Continue Reading →
I love writing, always have, but that doesn't mean I don't struggle with actually getting the words out. Join me on this week's episode where I talk about brain dumps and how this useful writing exercise helps structuring my professional and personal life. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
I recently 'cleaned' my perfectly fine pair of binoculars until they weren't perfectly fine anymore and then I spent days trying to figure out which new pair to get (it just wasn't feasible trying to fix the old ones). And then it got me thinking, why are binoculars such an important tool for marine mammal... Continue Reading →
We all write - all the time, but few of us actually think about *how* to write. In this week's episode I explore a magic writing formula. Writing is a four step process and if you know about it, writing and reading becomes so much easier and that much more fun. The four steps are:... Continue Reading →
I have a creative mind but when it comes to execution, I often overshoot the target but one way I know I can never go wrong is creating gigamaps which are brainstorming mindmaps. If you ever sat next to me in a conference or a meeting you will have seen me create these while listening... Continue Reading →
I am so excited for this - a UN proclaimed and dedicated decade to ocean science and generating ocean knowledge to achieve the sustainable development goals - particularly SDG 14 - Life below water. In this episode, I explore what the ocean decade is, why it is important, and how you can get involved -... Continue Reading →
Have you ever been at the beach enjoying a lovely sunset and just as the sunset a green light flashed before your eyes? No - it wasn't Superman flying through the air, it was actually a natural phenomenon that this week we'll explore. Also, a word of warning - please do not EVER stare into... Continue Reading →
Typically, I'd go short but this time I decided to take you on a longer exploration back to 2014 where I went from super busy Hong Kong to remote places in Malaysia. I did some ecotourism and feared for my life while experiencing things that even now I can't believe I ever got to do.... Continue Reading →
I've found myself separating the idea of wellbeing and sustainability but really, effective management strategies marry these concepts perfectly. But what does wellbeing and personal wellbeing actually look like and why is it important? I explore some of these concepts in this week's episode where I'll talk about finding my own heartbeat (literally) as a... Continue Reading →
I've met lots of people who would avoid getting on a boat because of fear of getting seasick. I'll let you in on a secret, I get terribly seasick but I've got some quick acting remedies! In this episode, we are exploring seasickness and what to do before, while, and after you're experiencing it!
What is sustainable development and what do we actually mean when we say that something is sustainable? And how come that when we talk about environmental sustainability and economic sustainability it seems like these two are not at all related? In this episode I explore the meaning of sustainable development in the marine space. We... Continue Reading →
Seabed mining is a controversial topic - from why we are mining to how we are mining and things we need to consider before we go further, it is all explored in this week's episode.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or Law of the Sea - for short, is my favourite framework, not just because of its amazing name but because it is the foundation on which we build our management approaches when it comes to the sea. I could talk hours about what... Continue Reading →
Are scientists just mad? Or are they creative geniuses? Well, most likely they're a bit of both, but I believe that scientists are artists in every sense of that definition.
Ever wondered what a group of jellyfish are called? Or what impact jellyfish have on aquaculture? And why jellyfish are important for our natural ecosystem? Dr. Damien Haberlin, MaREI (the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine research and innovation co-ordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork) gave up his... Continue Reading →
Do scientists enjoy "normal TV"? A 1000 times YES. Perhaps more so than we like to admit. Have a listen on today's episode and take a guess at my favourite (ocean-related) reality TV show but also, why I am enjoying - I mean loving - reality TV
I am a professional cheerleader and you should be too! By supporting each other and empowering each other we will get much further ahead than with creating doubt and tearing each other down. I've been on both sides and let me tell you, rejection is no fun. So, instead, I became a professional cheerleader!
Ever wondered if whale watching could be a career? The answer is yes. Join me as I explore marine mammal observation and why it's important. I'll explore what happens to sound underwater and the effects of that on marine mammals and how hard it actually is to detect any marine activity!
What is it I actually do? I ask myself that question a lot of times - here is a quick introduction to what I do.
Have you ever wondered how some people just seem to communicate and network effortlessly? I've thought about that a lot too and put together a few "what to dos" to help change your soft skills to power skills!
It's a quick one! What do I miss the most from my home place? Austrian coffee houses! The concept of being able to meet someone and discuss anything from politics to hair colors while having a cup of coffee and a delicious piece of cake? Sign me up!
Blue growth has been all I've been thinking about in the past two years. One way or another we are more and more moving towards the ocean as a valuable way to create jobs and to create economies. But we cannot do that if we stay on the green course only. So what can we... Continue Reading →
When I tell people about having the joy of working on marine related issues, they ask if I'm a marine biologist. Which I'm not. I work on marine innovation and I work on policy and then I often get a very blank stare and I get it, on paper that does not sound sexy. But... Continue Reading →
When I was younger my dad would drive us around, the entire family - I have no idea why we always seemed to be in the car, but I have so many memories of sitting in the backseat with my parents sitting in the front conversing about anything. My mom would sit next to my... Continue Reading →
Side note: Glasklar is a German expression which means that something is as clear as glass, it's easy to understand and see-through and evident and does not require any further explanation. I just had a full-blown mental breakdown (or as much of a breakdown as people like me will be able to experience one). If... Continue Reading →
I've been trying to formulate these words for days now, yet they would just not come out right and really - in the current global situation, are there even 'right' words? Probably not. I'll try anyways. When I was younger, I was fearless to a point of no return. I just did not know what... Continue Reading →
A bird loves a fish 